Albin Counter-Gambit Continued...

by GM Magesh and GM Arun

Last week we saw how Morozevich used his sharp tactical skills and his creative play to use this opening successfully against strong opposition. This week we shall see how one would normally counter a counter-gambit! The simple rule of thumb when you face a sharp surprise gambit in the opening is to avoid complications.

There are times when I have felt that I can calculate lengthy and complicated variations over the board, so why can't I take up the challenge? And trust me I have learned the answer to that question in harsh ways. Firstly, your opponent is psychologically trying to dent you with such sharp openings, so by taking them to a quiet positional game you already have scored your first point. Secondly, if you have studied the particular opening, then of course you can take up the challenge, but if you haven't then better play it safe. Make the most logical decision and it will hardly ever let you down.

Let us start today's discussion with Van Wely's victory over Morozevich in the same opening; of course Moro had taken his revenge for this and we saw that in our last article. Take one of the sharpest openings and add to that Rapid play-- even with the world's leading chess players, you are bound to see a bunch of errors.

A topsy-turvy game with several mistakes, but Van Wely managed to come out on top. 

Our second game today is between Grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov and International Master Joris Brenninkmeijer. The main thing I liked about this game was the simplicity of white's plan and how easily it was executed.

A game of chess is nothing but a flow of logical processes. You make decisions based on your logic and your opponent does so with his own logic. In this game black made a simple judgment error out of the opening and Tiviakov knew just what to do to punish the mistake. We hope our readers enjoyed the Albin Counter-Gambit opening and our discussion of its pro's and cons.