Having the most recent information about opening novelties is an important recommendation for any one tournament player above 2000 who wants to improve his level and thus have greater success in competitions. This time I will present an interesting novelty in the Sicilian Defence that happened in the game played three weeks ago between Spanish FIDE Master Javier Aguera and Dutch Grandmaster Robin Van Kampen in the fourth round of Hilton Master Open 2013.

[Event “Hilton Master Open”]
[Site “Basel, SUI”]
[Date “2013.01.03”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Javier Aguera”]
[Black “Robin Van Kampen”]
[Result “0-1”]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 The English Attack 6…e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Nd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 Qc7 12.c4 a5 13.Rc1 g6 14.Be2 a4 15.Na1 In this position Black had always preferred to simplify by trading queens with 15…Qa5. But this time he had a different idea.

15…Ng8! Novelty. The knight returns to its original place, looking for activity by h6-f5 or e7-f5 16.0–0 Bh6

Black proposes trading bishops to have better control of the dark squares 17.f4 Ne7 18.fxe5 Bxe3+ 19.Qxe3 Nxe5 20.Nc2 Nf5

The pair of knights gains control of the center 21.Qf2 Qc5

Black has slight advantage due to good knight placement and better center control. After an interesting fight Van Kampen won on move forty-nine.

Robert M. Cuadros
January 2013

Have a question for Professor Robert Cuadros?
Write to rmcuadros@instructor.net

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