Grischuk and Aronian

[AdminX]

I was watching the game between Grischuk and Aronian yesterday. As black Aronian played a sharp gambit variation of the Semi=Slav. What is the name of this gambit?

[d]rn1qkb1r/pb3p2/2p1pn1p/1p2N3/2pPP1pP/2N3B1/PP2BPP1/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 11

[d]r2qkb1r/pb1n1p2/2p1pn1p/1p2N3/2pPP1pP/2N3B1/PP2BPP1/R2QK2R w KQkq - 0 12

[d]r2qkb1r/pb1n1p2/2p1pn1p/1p2N3/2pPP1BP/2N3B1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 12

[d]r2qkbr1/pb1n1p2/2p1pn1p/1p2N3/2pPP1BP/2N3B1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R w KQq - 0 13

[d]r2qkbr1/pb1N1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP1BP/2N3B1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R b KQq - 0 13

[d]r3kbr1/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP1BP/2N3B1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R w KQq - 0 14

[d]r3kbr1/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP2P/2N2BB1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R b KQq - 0 14

[d]2kr1br1/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP2P/2N2BB1/PP3PP1/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 15

Now according to my database all previous moves had been played before. However Grischuk's next move is the novelty.

[d]2kr1br1/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP2P/2N2BB1/PP1Q1PP1/R3K2R b KQ - 0 15

It is here that Aronian finds the sharp move 15. ... Rxg3!

[d]2kr1b2/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP2P/2N2Br1/PP1Q1PP1/R3K2R w KQ - 0 16

Deep Fritz 11 seems to like black's 15th move, however Rybka 3 seems to prefer 15. ... c5. In computer games how does this line hold up? Below is the complete game.

[Event "2nd Grand Slam Masters"]
[Site "Bilbao ESP"]
[Date "2009.09.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Grischuk,A"]
[Black "Aronian,L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[EventDate "2009.09.06"]
[ECO "D43"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8.
Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Nbd7 12. Bxg4 Rg8 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bf3
O-O-O 15. Qd2 Rxg3 16. fxg3 e5 17. O-O-O Qxd4 18. g4 Nd7 19. Qxd4 exd4 20.
Rxd4 Bg7 21. Rdd1 Rg8 22. g5 Ne5 23. gxh6 Bxh6+ 24. Kb1 b4 25. Ne2 c5 26.
Rd6 Bg7 27. Rhd1 Kc7 28. Nf4 Rh8 29. h5 Bc6 30. R6d2 Bh6 31. Nd5+ Kb8 32.
Rf2 Ba4 33. Rdf1 Nd3 34. Re2 Ne5 35. Rh1 a5 36. Rf2 Bd7 37. Be2 Be6 38. Nf4
Bc8 39. Rd1 Bb7 40. Nd5 Re8 41. Rf6 Re6 42. Rdf1 Bg7 43. R6f5 Nd3 44. Rxf7
Bd4 45. Rd7 Re8 46. Rff7 Bc6 47. Rde7 Rd8 48. b3 Ne5 49. Rf5 cxb3 50. Rfxe5
bxa2+ 51. Kxa2 Rf8 52. R5e6 1-0

[yanquis1972]

i was looking at this a bit yesterday too. naum immediately liked Rxg3 but rybka passed on it very quickly iirc. c5 is greenlighted in the jeroen aquabook, & set at play 100% (given CAP is +.11, as opposed to +.48 for Rxg3), while Rxg3 is labelled red. so my guess is, in computer games past (as well as this OTB human one) its unsound if natural looking.

[Vladimir Xern]

I was watching the game between Grischuk and Aronian yesterday. As black Aronian played a sharp gambit variation of the Semi=Slav. What is the name of this gambit?

Really? Black's 5...h6 (...dxc4 now instead accepts the Botvinnik) offers the Moscow variation with 6.Bxf6. Playing 6.Bh4 instead is called the Anti-Moscow, and it's one of the most hotly contested theoretical variations at the world elite level these days (e.g. Topalov - Kramnik from last year).

[Thomas Lagershausen]

Rxg3 is a strong positional exchange sac.

But computers are not stupid today.

Zappa understands it.

FEN: 2kr1br1/pb1q1p2/2p1pn1p/1p6/2pPP2P/2N2BB1/PP1Q1PP1/R3K2R b KQ - 3 15

Zappa Mexico II x64:
8/31 00:01 239.439 1.093.329 -0,17 Tg8xg3 f2xg3 Dd7xd4 OOO Dd4xd2+ Td1xd2 Td8d3 Td2xd3 c4xd3
8/31 00:01 497.072 1.325.525 +0,44 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 b5b4 Sc3e2 Lb7xd5 Dd2f4
8/31 00:01 567.904 1.345.744 +0,44 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 b5b4 Sc3e2 Lb7xd5
9/31 00:01 727.979 1.370.959 +0,47 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 Td8e8+ Sc3e2 Lb7xd5 Dd2f4 Tg8xg3 Df4xg3
9/31 00:01 808.807 1.361.628 +0,47 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 Td8e8+ Sc3e2 Lb7xd5
10/37 00:01 1.311.886 1.499.298 +0,44 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 b5b4 Sc3e2 Sf6xd5 OOO
10/37 00:01 1.636.742 1.496.108 +0,44 c6c5 d4d5 e6xd5 e4xd5 b5b4 Sc3e2 Sf6xd5 OOO
11/38 00:02 3.315.840 1.645.578 +0,22 c6c5 Lg3e5 Sf6g4 Lf3xg4 c5xd4 OOO Tg8xg4 Dd2e2 Tg4xg2 De2f3
11/38 00:03 4.234.852 1.693.941 +0,22 c6c5 Lg3e5 Sf6g4 Lf3xg4 c5xd4 OOO Tg8xg4 Dd2e2 Tg4xg2 De2f3
12/42 00:03 5.468.585 1.749.947 +0,22 c6c5 Lg3e5 Sf6g4 Lf3xg4 c5xd4 OOO Tg8xg4 Dd2e2 Tg4xg2 De2f3
12/42 00:04 6.630.439 1.753.620 +0,22 c6c5 Lg3e5 Sf6g4 Lf3xg4 c5xd4 OOO Tg8xg4 Dd2e2 Tg4xg2 De2f3
13/45 00:08 14.469.660 1.780.881 +0,14 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5
13/45 00:11 18.965.968 1.795.680 +0,14 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5
14/47 00:14 25.856.162 1.828.583 +0,06 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5 Sb5d6+ Td8xd6 Lh2xd6 Sf6xe4 Lf3xe4 d5xe4 Ld6xc5
14/47 00:19 35.818.638 1.854.735 +0,06 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5 Sb5d6+ Td8xd6 Lh2xd6 Sf6xe4 Lf3xe4 d5xe4 Ld6xc5
15/49 00:34 64.344.319 1.871.835 +0,06 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5 Sb5d6+ Td8xd6 Lh2xd6 Sf6xe4 Lf3xe4 d5xe4 Ld6xc5
15/49 00:43 80.047.157 1.869.038 +0,06 c6c5 Lg3e5 Lf8g7 Le5h2 Lb7c6 a2a4 b5b4 Sc3b5 Dd7b7 d4d5 e6xd5 Sb5d6+ Td8xd6 Lh2xd6 Sf6xe4 Lf3xe4 d5xe4 Ld6xc5
16/51 01:50 205.075.198 1.872.303 -0,42 c6c5 d4d5 b5b4 Dd2f4 Lf8d6 Df4xf6 b4xc3 Df6xc3 e6xd5 OOO Ld6xg3 f2xg3 Dd7a4 e4xd5 Da4xa2
16/51 02:12 247.577.071 1.884.062 -0,19 Tg8xg3 f2xg3 Dd7xd4 OOO Dd4xd2+ Td1xd2 Td8xd2 Kc1xd2 Lf8d6 g3g4 Kc8c7 Kd2e3 Sf6d7 g4g5 b5b4 Sc3e2 h6xg5
16/51 02:40 298.915.896 1.870.598 -0,19 Tg8xg3 f2xg3 Dd7xd4 OOO Dd4xd2+ Td1xd2 Td8xd2 Kc1xd2 Lf8d6 g3g4 Kc8c7 Kd2e3 Sf6d7 g4g5 b5b4 Sc3e2 h6xg5
17/53 03:02 339.939.987 1.866.039 -0,06 Tg8xg3 f2xg3 Dd7xd4 OOO Dd4xd2+ Td1xd2 Td8xd2 Kc1xd2 Lf8d6 g3g4 b5b4 Sc3e2 c6c5 Th1c1 Lb7a6 Tc1d1 Ld6e5

[yanquis1972]

smart enough to understand it, but not smart enough to understand that it is not the best move.

[MirceaH]

Actually in this type of countergambit, where black offers the g4 pawn and to use the g file for operations, Shalimov's idea 11...Nbd7!? is interesting (see Ivanov-Shalimov, St Petersburg 2000, in another move order) and 14...O-O-O!? not only simply puts pressure on d4, but also tries to move the king from the center. This is one of the tricky problems white faces, besides the black operations on the g file.
Against Gelfand, Rustam Khasimzhanov preferred to move the bishop on f4, maybe fearing the sacrifice. In fact I don't think that the sac on g3 is so tough, because in this way one of the ideas white employes in this controversial (yet very interesting) opening is to use the f file for attack.
Grischuk wanted to show Aronian that the threat ...Rxg3 is not so bad in fact. He was willing to give the d4 pawn for this.
This is why I think 16...e5?! is at least out-of-order, because of course 16...Qd4 was more logical.
Personally I prefer 15. a4 a6 (now 15...Rg3?! 16. fg3 c5 17. e5!? is in fact worsening black's position) 16. Be5 Ne8! 17. d5 f5!? to treat this position.