[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: This Week's ChessBase Show: M. Gurevich-Zelcic, the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian and the Two Bishops

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
This Week's ChessBase Show: M. Gurevich-Zelcic, the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian and the Two Bishops
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1205300910.shtml


   One of the most important openings in all of chess is the Nimzo-Indian
   Defense, and within this opening one of the most important approaches
   for White starts with 4.Qc2. Its fundamental idea is to grab the
   bishop pair with a quick a3, and to do so without incurring the
   doubled pawns that result from an immediate 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3.
   Sounds good, you say, but what's the downside? The answer is as simple
   as the advice we all received as beginners: one should develop as
   quickly as possible, though generally not the queen. The 4.Qc2 Nimzo
   violates both halves of that precept, and therein we find Black's
   compensation. If he can use his speedier development to gain and
   maintain activity, he'll be fine; if not, White's bishop pair will
   gradually make its presence felt.
   In this week's show (tonight from 9-10 p.m. ET), we'll see the triumph
   of the bishop pair. The artist handling the White pieces is Mikhail
   Gurevich, one of those great players long on the cusp of the world's
   super-elite, nearly making the Candidates in 1991 and succeeding in
   2007. Gurevich is a great expert on the 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian, and this
   2004 game with Croatian GM Robert Zelcic, we see the two bishops
   recipe carried out almost to perfection. First, White finishes his
   development while staying out of trouble. Second, he gradually reduces
   Black's activity, turning things so that the only key difference is
   the imbalance of minor pieces. Once that occurs, the long-range
   bishops come into their own, and Black's position becomes increasingly
   passive. Finally, it's time to win the game, and with a minor hiccup
   or two along the way, that's just what happens.
   The foregoing narrative oversimplifies matters, of course. Zelcic had
   his chances, off and on, until quite near the end of the game. And it
   would be an error to think that gaining the bishop pair served as a
   sort of magic wand enabling its possessor to achieve his every whim on
   the chessboard. All the same, many games have been won by the skillful
   use of the bishop pair, that skillful use does often follow the broad
   pattern limned above, and this pattern is often seen in the 4.Qc2
   Nimzo-Indian. So I think and hope many of you will not only find this
   game entertaining but instructive as well, something you can use in
   your own play. Tune in and see for yourself! (Directions [1]here.)

References

   1. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1114234449.shtml