Monthly Archives: January 2020

Renato Quintiliano checks the Two Knights Defence (I)

If you are a 1...e5 player, you probably already realized that after 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 the move 3...f6 is a nice way to limit White's options and avoid a lot of theory in sharp lines, such as the Evans Gambit, the Max Lange Attack, or those variations in which White looks for a quick c3-d4 advance. It even gives Black some flexibility as the bishop is not on c5 yet, making the most solid development to e7 possible. Naturally, the only drawback of this move order is when White goes for the ambitious sortie 4.g5 that immediately demands concrete measures. Of course, the main field of discussion here is whether White is able to prove an advantage after 4...d5!, but in this first article I would like to investigate the old Traxler Variation 4...c5:

I remember seeing this move when I was a child, and my thought was: "I can't believe in such a move" Black just develops the bishop and calmly offers the valuable f7-pawn, with either a check or a double attack winning (at least) the exchange.

Childhood has gone and I have improved my chess skills a bit. My objective evaluation on the move hasn't changed, but now I understand that it might provoke a surprise effect on White, especially if the player has never seen the line before. This seems a reasonable explanation for more than 100 games in my database in which White continued either 5.d3 or 5.0-0, when after 5...0-0 Black escaped without any scar to repay his audacity!

It is obvious that White should play aggressively in order to punish such a provocative approach. There are at least three candidate moves that fit this purpose: A) 5.d4!?, B) 5.xf7+ and C) 5.xf7.

White wants to take on f7, but the point of this move is to open more lines to activate the pieces first.

True, after any piece capture on d4 White achieves a winning advantage. The best option for Black is to take the chance and double the bet with 5...d5!

A very curious position, as after just six moves in the game the tension in the centre is already at its maximum. Since White needs to keep f7 attacked, 6.xd5! is the best. Now, 6...xd5? 7.dxc5! just leaves Black a pawn down without compensation. The best chance is 6...xd4! when White is facing the same question again: which piece should take on f7?

I think this is a good moment to understand that White can face some practical problems in the event of careless play. The natural 7.xf7? e7 8.xh8 leads to a position evaluated as 0.00 by the engine (never a good signal if you are a rook up!). The point is that after 8...g4! Black surprisingly gets enough compensation, as after ...0-0-0 the knight on h8 is likely lost and all his pieces are developed, with real chances of taking the initiative.

Instead, White can go for the safer continuation 7.xf7+ e7 8.c4 with a pawn up. True, Black is able to pose some practical problems with moves like ...b5, ...h6, ...g4 and even ...f8. With correct play, White should be able to consolidate the advantage, but it requires some precision.

Although Black has lost the pawn, White is obliged to move the bishop again, which means lagging behind in development.

The absence of the f7-pawn may also be used in Black's favour, as the rook will be active on f8 and the idea e8-g6(-h5) is a new possibility. Still, a pawn is a pawn, the Black king remains in the centre and White has no weaknesses in his camp, which should be enough to claim a clear advantage. After 6.b3 f8 7.d3 d6 8.e3! White is doing nicely, exchanging the active c5 and, more importantly, keeping the possibility of hiding the king on the queenside where it would be much safer against Black's ideas.

Now Black reveals the trick 5...xf2+!

Quite a curious picture! Both sides strike at their respective targets, although for Black it means sacrificing even more material. It is pretty clear that the second player is burning all the bridges very early, making the weight of White's decisions bigger. What should he do next?

What brings us to the next question: where should the king be placed? White's task is anything but easy here. The most played move is 7.g1, but Black keeps the threats after 7...h4! 8.g3 xg3! The analysis of the old and curious game Pravda readers Tal, M. (1969) prove that with correct play by both sides the result is a draw by perpetual check, although in the aforementioned encounter White took too many risks and was even lost.

7.e3!seems White's best chance to play for an advantage, but the continuation is similar: 7...h4! 8.g3 xg3! 9.hxg3 d4+ 10.f3 and now 10...d5! keeps White busy with threats.

White is two (!) pieces up, but it seems unlikely that he is able to keep such a big advantage with so many threats hanging over his head. Considering the risks.

Since there's no way back, Black keeps playing as actively as possible, going for quick development.

In view of the threat ...g4, White should play 8.exd5 d4, with a still tense situation:

This position is anything but harmless for White, despite the big material advantage. For example, after the most played 9.c3 g4! 10.a4+ d7.

He is suddenly lost! As strange as it may look at first sight, there are too many threats against the king now ....0-0-0, ...f6 or ...h4+ if the bishop is taken. White tried the last option in most of the games, but after 11.xf2 h4+ Black's attack is unstoppable.

The correct 9th move for White is 9.d6!

The point is that in some lines White can make use of the diagonal a2-g8 and bring the knight back to the game via f7. After the most played 9...cxd6 White has 10.xf2 in a better version.

But in chess, truth might be slippery sometimes, as my analysis revealed that Black is still in the game after 9...xd6! when new complications arise. In many lines the engine even takes time to realise that White's position is starting to become risky, then it suddenly changes the evaluation to advantage in Black's favour! After exhaustive analysis, I think White should avoid such a complicated position, as he really needs to play precisely in order to make a draw (never a good sign!).

In ChessBase Magazine #194 (release beginning of March) we will see the main line 4...d5!

ChessBase Magazine 193

Analyses by Caruana, Giri, Duda, Wang Hao, So, Vidit, Vitiugov, McShane and many more. Plus videos by Williams, King and Shirov. 11 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and training sessions in strategy, tactics and endgame!

More...

I keep my sceptical evaluation of the Traxler Variation, especially in view of the line B) 5.xf7+ which is safe and good for White. However, such a provocative variation might be an interesting choice in specific situations, for example in short time controls or when you face either an unprepared or materialistic player, as deeper analysis proves that the complications after C) 5.xf7 are not so simple, and White might get into very difficult and unexpected problems with his king after a couple of imprecise moves.

See the rest here:

Is the Traxler Variation still viable? - Chessbase News

1/19/2020 In this week's column, GM JON SPEELMAN, brings you two of his own instructive games against grandmasters, played in a recent weekend of the Four Nations Chess League. | Send in your own games! Jon welcomes submissions from readers. If your games are selected for the Agony column, not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chesss great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-month ChessBase Premium Account!

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I thought this week that I'd show my two games from last week's 4NCL and, as requested by the survey last year, make the column more didactic. I haven't used ChessBase's training annotation format beforebut there are a number of questions dotted through the two games.

The season started with a match between my team Wood Green and 3Cs who had Stephen Gordonon top board.[Gordon, pictured,recently annotated games from the Tata Steel Masters -Ed.]I believe we'd drawn all five of ourprevious games but this time he murdered me!

The second game is against Scottish Champion GM Colin McNab.

Click or tap the second game in the list to switch

ChessBase Account Premium annual subscription

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Did you enjoy the column and instructive analysis by GM Jonathan Speelman? Do you wish you could have a world-renowned grandmaster analysing your play? You can!

To submit your games justupload a PGN or ChessBase file(.pgn or .cbv archive), along with your name and e-mail address.Send one success story (Ecstasy) and one loss (Agony).

Tell why you chose them, where or when they were played. Please do include your email address, so Jon can reply, and preferably a photo of yourself for our article.

If your game is selected Jon will contact you personally, and not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chesss great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-monthChessBase Premium Account!

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Speelman's Agony: A twofer from the 4NCL - Chessbase News

The history of Star Wars videogames is as long and storied as the movies themselves. There are some great onesKnights of the Old Republic, TIE Fighter, Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, Republic Commando. I could go on.

But for every classic there are a dozen that have been lost to time and largely forgotten about. In some cases this is entirely justified. Honestly, a lot of bad Star Wars games have been released over the years. But there are some gems hidden away in that immense back catalogue too.

Developer Coolhand InteractiveYear 1998

This Star Wars RTS is interesting because it features systems normally associated with 4X games: namely diplomacy, espionage, and exploration. It also features hero characters from the movies and the expanded universe, meaning you can recruit the likes of Han Solo or Grand Admiral Thrawn. The real-time starship combat is awful in retrospect, but the grand strategy stuff is quite compellingand the game is actually a pretty effective Star Wars story generator.

Developer Lucas LearningYear 1999

LucasArts offshoot Lucas Learning released a few educational games in the late '90s, including this unusual, and actually pretty imaginative, ecology simulator. Gungan leader Boss Nass wants to colonise Naboo's moon, and needs you to seed it with life. Doing so involves releasing plants and creatures into the wild to create a food chain, and ultimately a balanced ecosystem. Hardly a classic, but it's nice to see a Star Wars spin-off game that doesn't involve blasters or lightsabers.

Developer Attention to DetailYear 1990

This isn't strictly a Star Wars game, but it's close enough. Published by Lucasfilm Games, it involves a solo factory worker trying to keep a massive, elaborate machine running. But what's the Star Wars connection? Well, this particular factory is churning out Star Wars merchandise, including Darth Vader and Stormtrooper action figures. The box art also prominently features characters including R2-D2 and C-3PO, which I'm sure suckered a few Star Wars fans in.

Developer Software ToolworksYear 1993

This rather shameless Star Wars cash-in uses the base code of popular chess sim Chessmaster 3000, so it's perfectly playable. But it's still just a slow-paced, straightforward chess simulation with Star Wars characters as the pieces, and the occasional animated battle scenewhich are, admittedly, quite fun to watch. I do like the opening crawl, which reveals that the weakened Empire and Rebellion are at peace, and now settle their differences playing chess.

Developer LucasArtsYear 1997

Yoda Stories has become something of a cult favourite, so perhaps isn't as forgotten as the other games herebut it's an interesting curio nonetheless. Part of LucasArts' short-lived Desktop Adventures series, the game sees Luke Skywalker (no, not Yoda) exploring randomised maps based on classic Star Wars planets and completing, let's be honest, fairly banal fetch quests. It's fun in short bursts, and I kinda love the chibi character design, but a classic Star Wars game this ain't.

Developer Lucas LearningYear 1998

Lucas Learning's first release uses the same engine as Jedi Knight, but it's a very different experience. It involves plugging together mechanical parts to create your own droidsand with around 90 bits and pieces to choose from, you can build all manner of strange machines. Ever wanted to see an R2 unit trundling around with the head of a protocol droid? DroidWorks will let you realise that weird fantasy, then use your twisted creation to solve simple physics puzzles.

Developer Factor 5, LucasArtsYear 2000

Man, LucasArts really went hard on the Naboo-themed games in the late '90s and early 2000s, huh? Set during the events of The Phantom Menace, this arcade shooter is, loosely, a sequel to the highly entertaining Rogue Squadron. In it you play as ace pilot Gavyn Sykes, shooting down Trade Federation fighters, dodging air mines, and piloting a bunch of vehicles, including the famously yellow Naboo N-1 starfighter. Not bad, but clearly a clumsily retro-fitted Nintendo 64 game.

Developer LuxofluxYear 2000

Vehicle combat games were inexplicably popular at the turn of the millennium, and Star Wars was not immune to the craze. Demolition, which is built on the same bones as Vigilante 8, features a selection of familiar Star Wars vehicles including landspeeders, podracers, AT-STs, swoop bikes, and snowspeeders. And then, over the course of a match, they pummel each other with thermal detonators, proton torpedos, and other weapons until only one is left standing.

Developer LucasArtsYear 1997

This was never officially released on PC, but if you really want to play it you can. It's a beat-'em-up in the Tekken mould, but with a large selection of Star Wars charactersincluding Luke's expanded universe wife, Mara Jade. The best thing about Masters of Ters Ksi is forcing unlikely characters to fight each other, whether it's Han Solo going toe-to-toe with Darth Vader, or Princess Leia battering Chewbacca. It's very silly, and not even a very good fighting game, but one of the most entertaining oddities in the Star Wars catalogue.

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The weird old Star Wars games that time forgot - PC Gamer

January 20th, 2020 Sam Chambers Environment, Operations 1 comments

Mandated into law for less than three weeks and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), shippings new number one bunkering choice, is already facing calls to be banned, especially in Arctic waters.

A submission made by Finland and Germany to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) suggests VLSFO has higher black carbon emissions than its forebear, high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO).

The detailed submission, funded by the German Environment Agency and assisted by class society DNL GL and engine maker MAN ES, shows that new blends of marine fuels with 0.50% sulphur content can contain a large percentage of aromatic compounds, which have a direct impact on black carbon emissions.

New hybrid fuels with 0.50% sulphur content used in the study contained a high proportion of aromatic compounds in a range of 70% to 95%, which resulted in increased [black carbon] emissions in a range of 10% to 85% compared to HFO, the study claimed. The higher emissions were most noticeable when the engine was running at less than full capacity.

The submission urges that aromatic content be included in the specification of marine fuels of the ISO 8217 petroleum standard.

The black carbon news has quickly seen a number of NGOs call for VLSFO found to have high aromatic contents to be banned for ships transiting Artic waters.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the worlds oldest newspaper, Lloyds List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.

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Low sulphur fuel found to have higher black carbon emissions than HSFO - - Splash 247