Forum
Readers from all over the world join in discussions of previous surveys. Both (grand)masters and club players shed their light on new opening developments and search together for the truth. With contributions by Simon Williams, Efstratios Grivas, Jose Luis Vilela and many others.
Sosonko's Corner
’Vam shakh, grossmeister’ quipped Bobby Fischer before beating specialist Tigran Petrosian in blitz. Genna Sosonko shows in his Corner that a check in the opening can be devastating. The phenomenon seems to gain popularity. Our Editor comes up with an entertaining mixture of old and new traps. Alexander Morozevich checked on move 3 in the Philidor in an internet blitz game. It could be lethal in bullet!
Book Reviews
Two more animals in the chess zoo feature in Glenn Flear's Reviews: the venerable Bird and the idiosyncratic Hippopotamus. They are contrasted with the mainstream 1.e4 e5 openings and the King’s Indian.
Being an avid Ruy Lopez player himself, Flear eagerly read Nigel Davies’s ‘Play 1.e4 e5!’ and found that Davies had discovered some nice ideas: ‘I might try a few out myself!’ may be the highest praise you can get from a grandmaster reviewer!
Flear was also taken by Mikhail Golubev’s personal view on the King’s Indian in his new book, analysing 56 of his own games. An entertaining, high-quality and original work, writes Flear.
‘Rebellious material’ and ‘weird stuff’ we find in Andrew Martin’s ‘The Hippopotamus Rises’. Our reviewer finds it original, but a little skimpy. Recommended for those who, like the Hippopotamus, like to swim in muddy waters…

32 NIC Surveys Yearbook 79
Sicilian Defence Najdorf Variation 6.Be3 e5 SI 14.8 Olthof
Sicilian Defence Dragon Variation 9.Bc4  SI 18.3 Karolyi
Sicilian Defence Scheveningen Variation 6.Be2 SI 24.8 Langeweg
Sicilian Defence Sozin Variation 6.Bc4 SI 26.2 Golubev
Sicilian Defence Rauzer Variation 6.Bg5 SI 28.3 Kuzmin
Sicilian Defence Rossolimo Variation 4.Bb5 Qc7 SI 31.9 Greenfeld
Sicilian Defence Paulsen Variation 5...Qc7 SI 41.13 Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence Nimzowitsch Variation 2...Nf6 SI 43.6-7 Afek
Pirc Defence Classical Main Line 6...a6 PU 16.7 Marin/Stoica
French Defence Advance Variation 3.e5 FR 3.5 Matamoros
French Defence Steinitz Variation 5.Nf3 FR 4.5 Moskalenko
Caro-Kann Defence Exchange Variation 4.Bd3 CK 2.9-16 Nikitin
Caro-Kann Defence Advance Variation 3.e5 CK 4.11 Peelen
Petroff Defence Nimzowitsch Variation 5.Nc3 RG 3.5 Van der Wiel
Ruy Lopez Marshall Attack 8...d5 RL 17.10 Van der Tak
Ruy Lopez Zaitsev Variation 9...Bb7 RL 26.6 Morgado
Slav Defence Krause Variation 11...f6 SL 4.5 Van der Stricht
Slav Defence Marshall Gambit 4.e4 SL 6.1 Kuzmin
Slav Defence Moscow Variation 5...h6 SL 6.6 Lukacs/Hazai
Catalan Opening Closed Variation 6...Nbd7 CA 4.7 Anka
Queen’s Indian Defence Nimzowitsch Variation 5...b5 QI 15.4 Karolyi
Queen's Indian Defence Nimzowitsch Variation 5...Bb4 QI 16.11 Lukacs/Hazai
Grünfeld Indian Defence Exchange Variation 5.Bd2 GI 3.3 Bosch
King’s Indian Defence Gligoric Variation 7.Be3 KI 18.3 Grivas
King'Indian Defence Fianchetto Variation 3.g3 KI 63.3 Stohl
Benoni Defence Taimanov Variation 8...Nbd7 BI 7.3 Palliser
Benoni Defence The Bd3, h3 System BI 8.4 Grivas
Benoni Defence Modern Main Line 8.a4 BI 13.2 + 7 Vilela
Queen's Pawn Opening Trompowsky Attack 2.Bg5 QP 7.8 Tzermiadianos
Queen's Pawn Opening Prié Attack 2.a3 QP 9.1 Prié
English Opening Anti-Benoni Gambit 4...e5 EO 46.5 Van der Weide
English Opening Reversed Sicilian 3...d5 EO 51.4/53.8 Marin/Stoica