It
is not often these days that an author tries to
cover two (actually three) different openings
in one book, but that is exactly what Georgian
GM Lasha Janjgava has set out to do in his latest
work for Gambit Publications entitled KING’S
INDIAN and GRUNFELD: FIANCHETTO LINES. As the
title implies, this book covers the g3 lines against
the Kings Indian and Grunfeld. Along the way it
also looks at kindred English lines under A39
in the Chess Informant code.
First let me say that Janjgava deserves
credit for undertaking this massive project. The
last time the Kings Indian and Grunfeld fianchetto
lines were covered it was in two separate books
by GMs McNab and Mikhalchisin. Here Janjgava takes
on both complexes in very comprehensive fashion,
with a decided emphasis on concrete lines over
explanatory prose.
This book is not a data-dump. Though
much of Janjgava’s work is to sort through
existing theory and present what is most important,
there is also original analysis. For example in
the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5Nxd5
6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 Nb6 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.e3 Re8 10.Re1
e5 11.d5 Na5 12.e4 c6 Janjgava proposes the new
move 13.b3 and gives close to two pages of analysis
on it!
This book is primarily written from
White’s point of view. For example in the
line given above, many Black players often forgo
castling in favor of an early …Nc6 and …Nb6
to sidestep d4-d5 lines by forcing an early e2-e3.
Readers will find little on the gambit line 6…Nb6
77.0-0 Nc6 8.Nc3 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 when Black has both
9…Bxd4 and 9…Qxd4. Janjgava feels
this line is fine for Black, hence his emphasis
on variations with e3, but Grunfeld players might
like to know more about this move order trick
which cuts down on White’s options.
As I mentioned earlier, this
book also covers one line in the English. After
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c5 5.Nf3 cxd4
6.Nxd4 Nc6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 we arrive
at a position that just as often arises from the
English as the Kings Indian, and was covered by
FM Carsten Hansen in his Gambit book THE SYMMETRICAL
ENGLISH (click HERE
if you would like to see Watson’s review
of the Hansen book). Interestingly, the two authors
often disagree on what is important in this line.
Janjgava does not cover 10.Bd2, which sidesteps
several aggressive Black possibilities and usually
transposes into the main lines after 10…a6
11.Qd3 (10.Qd3 a6 11.Bd2).
While preparing for my game with
John Watson at this year’s U.S. Championship
I discovered how closely the lines 10.Qd3 Be6
11.Bxb7 Rb8 12.Bg2 Qa5 and 8…d6 9.Nxc6 bxc6
10.Bxc6 Rb8 11.Bg2 Qa5 are. In the latter after
12.Qd3, Black has nothing better than 12…Be6
transposing, a trick that is mentioned by neither
Hansen nor Janjgava, but has been used a few times
by GM Ribli.
One interesting sideline I didn’t
find covered was 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3
0-0 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.0-0 e5 8.e3 Re8 9.a4
which has been used many times by GM Vaganian
with good success. The old lines with e3 and b3
are mentioned, but 9.a4 is more logical.
Of course, in a project of this
scope it is impossible to cover everything and,
in general, Janjgava does a very good job of handling
the main lines. This affordable book is must reading
for those over 2000 who answer the King’s
Indian and Grunfeld with g3.
YOU
CAN FIND THIS BOOK AT
|
