Jogo que aconteceu neste Metz Open 2015, com uma das linhas mais populares do Benko Gambit:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.g3 d6 9.Bg2 Nbd7.
After nine moves of the Benko Gambit it is White to play !
White players unknowingly would go for 10.0-0 here, and then Black
would reply with 10…Nb6! White wanted to now to develop his bishop on
c1, but it was impossible as Nc4 would be very irritating. At the same
time the natural move 11.Rb1, which intended b3, was met by 11…Bc4! with
an attack on the a2 and d5 pawns. Black would equalise in this manner.
Later White realised that it was a mistake to begin with 10.0-0 and
instead started playing 10.Rb1!
Now 10…Nb6 is no longer dangerous as it can be met with 11.b3! with
no pressure down the a1-h8 diagonal. This little subtlety helped white
players to pose black considerable problems in the Benko Gambit. Ever
since this move 10.Rb1 was found it has become one of the main ways of
playing against the Benko. And why am I suddenly sharing this Rb1 story
with you? Because this line is called…
….the Epishin Variation after the famous Russian grandmaster Vladimir Epishin, who was playing in Metz.
Born in 1965, Epishin was one of the elite players during the 90s.
His rating was as high as 2669. He was the second of the Anatoly Karpov
during the years 1987-1996. And how many of us can boast about having an
opening variation named after us? It was a great opportunity to see him
in action. Thoroughly concentrated and dedicated to the game Epishin
scored 5.5/9, finishing sixth in the tournament.
The Epishin Variation against the Benko is thought to give White
excellent chances of an opening advantage. However, white players have
to proceed with extreme care so as not to fall for any of Black’s tricks
in the opening and the middlegame. ChessBase has a 60 minute DVD on
exactly the Epishin Variation which can help you with sound fundamental
ideas, provided by the experienced GM Henrik Danielsen, in order to get
good positions against the Benko.
Pictures by Amruta Mokal
Analyses by Dennis Wagner and Jacek Stopa
Text by Sagar Sha
