Opening videos by Leon Mendonca and Nico Zwirs (total running time: 55 minutes). Plus 50 analyses by Ganguly, Giri, Praggnanandhaa, and many others. ChessBase Magazine Extra is the perfect companion to ChessBase Magazine.
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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6
On his way to the Tata Steel Masters 2025, Leon Luke Mendonca stopped in Hamburg, specifically to videotape one of his best games of last year in the ChessBase Studio. He chose his victory with White against Harika Dronavalli at the Chennai GM Challengers 2024.
Faced with the French defense, Mendonca opted for the Advance Variation, where his opponent followed with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6. With 6.a3 c4 7.Nd2 Na5 8.Rb1 Bd7 9.h4 0-0 10.b3, followed by an early exchange of queens, Mendonca gained a long-term strategic advantage.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.0-0 e5
In January, Magnus Carlsen played a game for his new club, FC St. Pauli, in the German Bundesliga. In his clash with Max Warmerdam, the Fianchetto variation of the King's Indian Defense with 6... Nbd7 appeared on the board as a transposition from the English Opening.
Nico Zwirs analyzes this game in which his compatriot, true to his enterprising style, preferred 8.Qc2 to the main continuation 8.e4, thus taking the game into relatively uncharted territory. After 8... Re8 9.Rd1, Carlsen immediately took the initiative with 9... e4.
So what to do with the knight on f3? Nico Zwirs examines three options for White:
10.Nd2 is a natural move that attacks the advanced e4 pawn and remains entirely playable.
10.Ng5 allows Black the pawn sacrifice 10...e3, offering practically equal chances.
10.Ce1, the move played in the game, which after 10... Nb6 11.c5? (better was 11.Bg5!) Nd5 12.cxd6 Qxd6 13.Bg5 e3!, perfectly served the interests of the world number 1.
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