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Shortlist: Yearbook Novelty of the Year 2012
The Chess Player's Guide to Opening News
Here are the six nominees for the 2012 Yearbook Novelty of the Year.
The inventor of the winning novelty will receive a prize of € 350 ($ 450).
A one-year subscription to the Yearbook will be raffled amongst those who have voted for the winning novelty.
Game 1. 17...Ng4xf2 in Hovhannisyan-Akopian, Plovdiv Ech 2012 (Yearbook 103, Column by Alexey Kuzmin, page 39). Kuzmin explains: 'Prior to this game Black invariably chose 17...f5. I suspect that, for Caro-Kann experts, the fact that 17...Nxf2 leads by force to a draw has long been an open secret. Well, now it has also become known to me!'
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Game 2. 11...Ba6-c4 in Flear-Terrieux, Calvi 2012 (Yearbook 103, Review by Glenn Flear, page 242). A key novelty in an age-old line was presented by Ivan Sokolov in his monograph The Strategic Nimzo-Indian. He wrote: 'If the line is to hold, 11...Bc4! should be the move!' Shortly after, Glenn Flear, who'd reviewed the book in Yearbook 103, got it on the board - as White!
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Game 3. 8...Nc6-a5 in Solodovnichenko-Gajewski, Maastricht 2012 (Yearbook 104, Survey by Larry Kaufman, page 108). Grzegorz Gajewski has already uncorked two amazing novelties in the main line of the Ruy Lopez. Now he has come up with a third one, improving on his original Gajewski Gambit. It looks as if Black just blunders his key centre pawn - not!
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Game 4. 14...c7-c5 in Gashimov-Kamsky, Wijk aan Zee 2012 (Yearbook 104, Survey by Larry Kaufman, page 110). Gata Kamsky has revived a 40-year-old line to meet the Anti-Marshall move 8.h3. Surprisingly Black sacrifices his e-pawn anyway! Larry Kaufman was unable to find even a trace of an advantage for White.
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Game 5. 14...0-0 in Gelfand-Anand, Moscow Wch m-6 2012 (Survey by Istvan Almasi in Yearbook 104, page 136). This pawn sacrifice was part of Anand's armoury when he defended his World Championship title in Moscow. White wins a pawn but it proved almost impossible to convert it into an advantage.
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Game 6. 13.Bf3-g2 in Kramnik-Grischuk, Moscow 2012 (Survey by Viacheslav Ikonnikov in Yearbook 105, page 218-9). In 2011 Vladimir Kramnik was successful with the novelty 13.Ba3 against Anish Giri, Hoogeveen 2011. At the Tal Memorial in Moscow 2012, against Alexander Grischuk, he didn't wait for Black's prepared improvement and produced another novelty. And again he emerged victorious. Two for the price of one!
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Cast your vote before February 4, 2013. Only one vote each!